Moving to the new serviced office has been great, not only because the onsite showers allow me to run at lunchtime, but the gym has a couple of treadmills which I can use when the weather is too crappy to run outside.I have learned quickly though, that the treadmill is also great for experimenting with, and adjusting running style. Running at a constant pace lets me fine tune my technique where I can now cover ground more efficiently, and expend the minimum amount of energy.
I don't want to get into any debate about the various merits of bio-mechanics, minimalism, or forefoot striking, other than to say that forefoot striking seemed to use more energy, and I have settled on a mid-foot strike, and try to move with quick, light feet.
This seems to cover the ground for me in the most efficient way, and I try to keep all parts of my body relaxed, except for my core, which I keep strong and stable. Keeping the legs relaxed, while maintaining a high turnover, I feel is the one of the keys to seeing out an ultra distance.
On the injury front, I resumed running last Tuesday after 4 days off. I still had some pain, so was very careful to ease into it, only running at 6:40 pace on my first run, then gradually increasing tempo later in the week.
By Saturday, the pain was nearly gone, and I ran 21km at 5:15 pace, then backed up pain-free on Sunday for 32km at 5:39 pace. With a solid base behind me, I will now start to bump up my Sunday long run distance. 34km this Sunday, then 40km the week after. 7 weeks until Yurrebilla!
